Hisar; Rains have left thousands of acres of agricultural land inundated, causing extensive damage to cotton, paddy and vegetables in several villages of Hisar, Bhiwani and adjoining districts.

Hisar: Rains have left thousands of acres of agricultural land inundated, causing extensive damage to cotton, paddy and vegetables in several villages of Hisar, Bhiwani and adjoining districts. However, crop insurance agencies have refused to assess the loss, stating the crops were not yet insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Sources say crops over 5,000 acres in Satrod Kalan, Satrod Khurd, Ladwa Dabra, Mahrana, Kharkhari villages in Hisar, Chang and adjoining villages of Bhiwani district and Madina, Kharkara, Ajayab, Bharan, Singhwa villages in the Hansi-Meham belt between Rohtak and Hisar districts have been inundated. 

However, farmers alleged that the crop insurance officials had refused to entertain their complaints about flooding in the areas and crop loss, stating they had not yet received premium under the PMFBY and the crops were not qualified for the insurance benefit. Krishan Singh, a farmer of Satrod Kalan village, who is a zila parisad member, said crop, mostly paddy, cotton and moong, on 2,500 acres had submerged.

“We have been approaching the district officials to provide pump sets for draining out the water. While there are no chances of survival of the standing crop, we hope some late varieties of paddy are sowed if the water is drained out at the earliest,” he said.